TAMPA, FL. Inspectors visiting Pollos Rocoto on Hanley Road last week found no one in charge of the restaurant, food cooked below the minimum required temperature, food in poor or adulterated condition, and food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, all in the same visit. The Hanley Road location racked up 7 high-severity violations during the week of May 25, the most of any facility inspected in Tampa during that stretch.
That was the worst single inspection of a week in which 15 Tampa restaurants drew high-severity citations.
The Violations
Pollos Rocoto also had no written employee health policy and inspectors cited improper handwashing technique, meaning employees were making handwashing attempts that still left pathogens on their hands. The facility also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a requirement that protects elderly diners, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system who needs to know what they are ordering.
Rice and Spice on Sheldon Road drew 6 high-severity violations, second-most for the week. Inspectors found the facility lacked adequate handwashing stations, had no employee health policy, and cited employees for not reporting illness symptoms, a combination that creates a direct pathway for a sick worker to spread illness to customers without any structural barrier in place.
El Manjar Sabor Latino on North Armenia Avenue drew a citation that stood out from the week's pattern: food from an unapproved or unknown source. Inspectors also found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled at the same location, alongside improper handwashing technique and food contact surfaces that had not been properly sanitized.
Far East Restaurant on East 10th Avenue was also cited for food from an unapproved source, one of only two facilities this week to draw that specific violation. Inspectors there additionally found inadequate handwashing facilities and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Food+Beer on West Hillsborough Avenue drew a citation that is less common in routine inspections: inadequate shell stock identification records. Without those records, there is no way to trace oysters, clams, or mussels back to their harvest source if a customer becomes ill.
What Inspectors Found Across the Rest of the Week
Pepper's Island Restaurant on East 4th Avenue accumulated 4 high-severity and 4 intermediate violations. Among the high-severity findings: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, inadequate shell stock records, and food in poor condition. On the intermediate side, inspectors cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that carries a direct risk of fecal contamination spreading through the facility.
Checkers #280 on East Broadway drew a citation for toxic chemicals improperly stored alongside inadequate shell stock records and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also noted single-use items being reused, a violation that can transfer contamination between customers.
3 Guys Caribbean Restaurant on East Hillsborough Avenue was cited for improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, inadequate shell stock records, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Yummy House China Bistro on East Hillsborough Avenue drew citations for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, and inadequate shell stock records.
Roast Deli and Social Bar on East 7th Avenue had no person in charge present or performing duties when inspectors arrived, one of three facilities this week where that specific failure was documented. Inspectors also found inadequate handwashing facilities and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Temak House Sushi Fusion on West Linebaugh Avenue drew two separate chemical-related citations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The facility also had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a significant gap for a sushi operation.
Fresh Bites on Countryway Boulevard was cited for food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, one of the more acute single-violation findings of the week. Inspectors also found no person in charge present.
301 Family Restaurant on North US Highway 301 drew 3 high-severity violations including no employee health policy and improper handwashing technique. 511 Franklin on North Franklin Street was cited for employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shell stock records, and no consumer advisory.
Casa Santo Stefano on North 22nd Street was the only facility in this week's data with no high-severity violations, drawing a single intermediate citation for equipment in poor repair.
What These Violations Mean
The single most common high-severity pattern this week was the handwashing cluster: inadequate facilities, improper technique, or both appearing together. At Rice and Spice, inspectors found both inadequate handwashing stations and improper technique, meaning employees had nowhere adequate to wash and were not washing correctly when they tried. That combination removes the most basic line of defense against pathogen transfer from hands to food.
The illness-reporting failures at Rice and Spice, Far East Restaurant, Food+Beer, Checkers #280, and 511 Franklin are separately serious. Food workers are the documented primary source of Norovirus outbreaks in restaurant settings. A written employee health policy is the mechanism that requires workers to report symptoms and stay home. Without one, as was the case at Pollos Rocoto, Rice and Spice, Pepper's Island, 3 Guys Caribbean, Yummy House, Temak House, 301 Family Restaurant, and Fresh Bites, there is no formal system requiring a sick employee to disclose illness before handling food.
The unapproved food source citations at El Manjar Sabor Latino and Far East Restaurant carry a traceability problem that extends beyond the facilities themselves. Food that bypasses USDA or FDA inspection can harbor Listeria, Salmonella, or other pathogens with no documentation trail. If a customer becomes ill, investigators have no records to follow.
Chemical storage violations at El Manjar Sabor Latino, Pepper's Island, Checkers #280, 3 Guys Caribbean, Roast Deli, and Temak House Sushi Fusion represent a category that can cause acute harm quickly. Improperly stored cleaners or pesticides near food preparation areas can contaminate food directly, with effects that appear within hours rather than days.
The Longer Record
Yummy House China Bistro has the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 47 prior inspections on record. This week's 4 high-severity violations, including food contact surfaces and improper handwashing, are not anomalies against that backdrop. A facility inspected 47 times that continues to draw handwashing and sanitation citations is not correcting in the categories that matter most.
El Manjar Sabor Latino and Far East Restaurant each carry 29 prior inspections. Both drew unapproved food source citations this week, and Far East was also cited for inadequate handwashing facilities. Roast Deli and Social Bar has 34 prior inspections; this week it had no person in charge and no adequate handwashing facilities. Checkers #280 has 28 prior inspections on record and drew 4 high-severity violations this week.
Pollos Rocoto, which led the week with 7 high-severity violations, has 22 prior inspections. The facility's combination of no manager present, undercooked food, and unsanitary food contact surfaces in a single visit is the kind of cluster that inspection history shows is harder to correct than isolated violations.
Food+Beer is the newest facility in this week's data, with only 2 prior inspections on record. It drew 5 high-severity violations, including the shell stock traceability failure and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. A location that accumulates that volume of serious citations in its first inspections has not established a compliance baseline.
Pepper's Island Restaurant has 7 prior inspections and this week drew citations in 8 separate violation categories, including improper sewage disposal. That specific finding had not been resolved at the time of the inspection report.